Reviews by kevanb:

The beer pours a slightly hazy golden, copper color, hues of straw and orange with a big, white, soapy head, loosely packed bubbles that has fantastic retention and leaves a nice amount of spotted lace behind. The aroma is heavy on the herb garden, very floral with some yeast qualities behind it and a bit of sweet pale grain at the back end. The flavors are right in line, lots of calendula and yarrow, really brings out the herby and floral character. The yeasty funk is there, very subtly so, nice pale grain that is sweet, but very nicely integrated. The body is nice, carbonation is on the lower end, yet still lively, coats the mouth well, the finish is a touch creamy, yet a bit dry, a little confusing.

Verdict: A nice saison that really highlights the adjuncts. The herby and floral qualities are really front and center, and executed nicely. While it doesn't showcase the yeast and grain as much, they are certainly nice subtle touches. It's not a beer I could drink lots of, but sharing this 750ml bottle was fairly easy. A nice beer from Upright.

More User Reviews:

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is very nice with a ton of lemon and coriander notes, which are mixed in nicely with some grains of paradise. The flavor has a bit of wheat and biscuit malt, as well as the fruit from the aroma. I get the grains of paradise and lemons, as well as a hint of cherry. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Found a random bottle of this on the clearance shelf at the LRS by my house. I guess that's why I had low expectations, and thus why I was so pleasantly surprised. It poured a great hazy tangerine colour, pretty thick white head, great retention. I was apprehensive of how floral it was going to be, but the flower flavours are mild. They do assert themselves more as the beer warms, but it plays well with the NW hops and saison yeast. It's a really well-crafted saison, great champagne bubbles, nice dry finish, VERY thirst-quenching. The NW hops are also really mild, they seem to add more floral flavor and some dryness without adding much bitterness. I really had trouble rating this beer, because it was good in so many categories, but it didn't really Wow me in any of them. No flaws at all to speak of, but nothing to rave about either...

A: Pours a slightly hazy orange color with a small white head on top, rather foamy with decent head retention with thin lacing down the sides.

S: Extremely floral, probably the most floral/flower filled aroma I have come across. There is some nice spices mixed in, not spicy as in pepper, but more herbal. A bit of funk as well.

T: Wow, this beer has a lot going on. Nice saison funk upfront with some pepper mixed with a bit flower component from the yarrow and calendula. In the middle there is a bit of fruity sweetness with a bit of lemon and apricot.

M: Light to medium bodied with medium carbonation. The flavor really coats the entire mouth. It is rather creamy as well.

O: Very impressed with this beer, loved the flowery aspects to it. Has a nice level of complextiy between the flowers, spices, and fruit. Great mouthfeel, a winner.

Even the most careful pour produces a stupidly thick bone-white head (like, four fingers!). Should have expected this from a bottle-conditioned Belgian--from one of the U.S.'s most authentic Belgian-style breweries, no less--but wow, it takes forever to reduce to a drinkable level. Meanwhile, I gaze at a gorgeous lemon-yellow-sun color, holding within it a bazillion bubbles and exhibiting a beautiful haze. The head is now craggy and super-rocky...and a more reasonable two-fingers thick.

The aroma is a super-earthy, fruit-loaded one. Very clean mineral vibes wrap around dried citrus peel/zest, and kind of indicates a tart and super-dry flavor to come.

Yep, it is tart (lightly) and dry, but there's so much more to decipher. There's an incredibly flowery essence here (no surprise, as it's brewed with yarrow and calendula flowers), as well as a nutty element (the yeast?), which join up nicely with a mildly sweet graininess. Citrus comes in the form of lemon, with just a little shot of rind-like bitterness, especially in the finish. Green apple and herbal tea spring to mind too.

A gentle mouthfeel, with a dryness that works super-well with the abundant but delicate flavors.

Wow, this is super. Full of flavor without hammering you over the head with intensities (this is, instead, bursting with subtleties). Considering the craftsmanship and love this was obviously brewed with, and considering the depth of quality overall, Upright have thrown down the gauntlet to other U.S. brewers hoping to recreate Belgian magic. Thanks a ton of msubulldog25 for making this one happen!

I picked up a bottle for $10. That's a lot more than I usually pay for a session-weight beer, but this was completely worth it. It reminds me of the best pale Belgians and saisons I've had - Duvel, De Ranke XX Bitter, and Saison Dupoint. It's light and dry on the palate, but bursting with earthy and tea-like spice flavors. No, I can't pick out the yarrow and calendula, but the rich floral and herbal character blend them with a robust yeast character to create a beer that the best breweries in Belgium would be proud to make. Find this beer if you can.

On tap @ the Upright Brewing Company (Portland, OR) on 9/4/11. Served in a footed glass.

Pours a clear gold, with a ½ finger of bright-white head. This retains with a thin creamy richness that drenches the sides of the glass with thick sticky lacing. The aroma smells fresh and floral in the nose, with extra notes of herbs, lemon, spice, earth, and sweet backing grains. This has a delicious airiness in the nose but also has some flavorful power as well.

The taste is crisp and flavorful on the palate, with lots of zesty tart lemon, peppery spice, and herbal earth notes that all linger on the tongue. There appears to be a bit of a light grassy (or I could see even a flowery) bitterness to this that is balanced and supported by a light backbone of sweet and gently toasted malt. The lemon, earthy botanicals, and spice flavors really drive this. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a prickly creaminess that expands out in the mouth. Overall though, this is light and crisp enough on the palate to bounce those flavors around nicely and help this retain a certain amount of a refreshing feel to it. This is about perfect in relation to the flavors here.

I really liked this and it made me a believer about the great things that I’ve heard about their beers from here. This was just packed with a deep flavorful complexity, yet was still extremely approachable and even borderline thirst quenching at times. Between this and the samples that I had of their other Farmhouse Ales, I’d certainly say that these guys know what they are doing here.

Big thanks goes out to MSquared2 for sharing this one at a recent Random Sunday Tasting! Poured a hazy pale golden yellow with a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, wheat, wood, and earth. The flavor was of sweet malt, fruit, wood, earth, and funk. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. I went into this one hoping that this would be a big time sour that would melt my teeth with sweetness and tartness. However, that was not the case. What I found was a very mellow wild ale that was more earthy and funky than anything. It was still fairly nice just not what I look for exactly from the style. Really glad I got the chance to try this one and I hope to get to revisit this one in the future again.

2012 batch. Time to update. After being disappointed with last year’s batch (there's a chance I simply got an off bottle), I was hesitant about giving this year a shot. Boy am I glad I did. Twice on-tap and three bottles later, I believe this one's a winner.

A: Brilliant gold, rocky impressive looking four finger head that hangs around for quite a while, and ridiculous lacing. Nothing could make this look better. 5/5

T: Bitterness is obviously from a source other than hops. It's a softer bitterness without the harsh bite that seems to come from alpha acids. Grapefruit pith dirty things up and keeps my interest. Rustic qualities with round grain profile. It's almost hard to describe due to its uniqueness among American saisons but it's extremely enjoyable. This just screams to be paired with dinner. Very food friendly. 4/5

M: Full and lush. Very silky texture that somehow finishes cleaner than expected. Although there's so much head suggesting carbonation it actually feels low-medium on the palate. Impressive perceived size for a beer hovering at 5% ABV. 4.5/5

O: The very best beer Upright has made this year. This is the third batch and the third yeast strain. I'm sure there has been some other tweaking along the way but this amalgamation is my favorite. Alex, don't change a thing next year. I'm likely getting some more bottles this year and will probably regret not buying a case once I'm out. An absolute must try if you have the chance. 4.5/5

2011 batch. 75cl bottle split between a couple Duvel tulips and shared with TulipSnifter. Bought at the brewery tasting room for $8.

A: Pale light amber in color with a big fluffy white head that recedes slowly leaving adequate lacing. Off to a great start. 4/5

S: Gone are the rich botanicals I remember from last year’s batch. A mild mannered typical herbal saison is what I get this year. Lightly floral character could just as easily be from the hops as from the flowers. 3/5

T: It's a saison. Actually comes off slightly sweet and uninspired. Simple ester's and herbal qualities makes this a better pairing for a charcuterie plate, but isn't something I'm drinking by itself when I want a provoking beer. 2.5/5

M: Slightly fuller than the ABV would hint at with moderate carbonation. This finishes just a little sticky. I'd prefer it was drier. 2/5

O: Last year’s batch seemed more interesting to me. It was more dynamic and a little tart. I'm not sure if there were other changes to the recipe, or if the yeast was the only thing that changed, but whatever happened I'm not on board. 2.5/5

Review from 3/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a murky orange amber, big white head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of fruit, especially pineapple. Dry and moderately tart with pineapple, citrus and floral flavors. Light to moderate body with prickly carbonation. Hint of brett is well integrated. A nice flavorful saison.